The full match schedule for the 19th IHF Men's Club World Championship has been confirmed, with the New Administrative Capital in Egypt once again hosting the competition, from 24 September to 1 October 2026, for a third consecutive edition.

The 2026 edition introduces the biggest structural shift in the competition's recent history: a 10-team field, up from nine in the previous two editions, built around a new opening phase that immediately shapes the rest of the week.

Preliminary Qualification open the competition

The action begins on 24 September with the two Preliminary Qualification matches that will decide the final two places in the Group Phase. First, Veszprém HC, runners-up in 2025 and winners in 2024, will take on Sydney Uni, while debutants Los Angeles Handball Club will face Zamalek in the second match of the day.

PQ2: Sydney Uni (AUS) vs Veszprém HC (HUN) – 17:30 local time
PQ1: Los Angeles Handball Club (USA) vs Zamalek SC (EGY) – 20:00 local time

The winners of PQ1 and PQ2 advance directly into the Group Phase - but for the first time, the two losing sides are not eliminated from the competition. Instead, LPQ1 and LPQ2 head into a two-legged tie of their own, playing home and away across the following days to determine the competition's 9th and 10th place finishers, guaranteeing both sides further matches even after their Group Phase hopes are over.

 

Group Phase: a full round robin across three matchdays

With the Preliminary Qualification results feeding directly into Groups A and B, the two group phase pools will play out as a complete round robin across three matchdays — 25, 27 and 29 September — with every team facing all three group rivals once.

Group A: FC Barcelona (ESP), Montada (MAR), E.C. Pinheiros (BRA), WPQ1
Group B: Füchse Berlin (GER), Al Ahly (EGY), Burgan SC (KUW), WPQ2

Group phase - match schedule
25 September

13:15 - Group A: Montada vs WPQ1
15:30 - Group A: E.C. Pinheiros vs FC Barcelona
17:45 - Group B: Burgan SC vs Füchse Berlin
20:45 - Group B: Al Ahly vs WPQ2

27 September
13:15 - Group A: Montada vs E.C. Pinheiros
15:30 - Group A: FC Barcelona vs WPQ1
17:45 - Group B: Füchse Berlin vs WPQ2
20:00 - Group B: Al Ahly vs Burgan SC

29 September
13:15 - Group A: WPQ1 vs E.C. Pinheiros
15:30 - Group A: FC Barcelona vs Montada
17:45 - Group B: WPQ2 vs Burgan SC
20:00 - Group B: Füchse Berlin vs Al Ahly

Placement matches decide it all on the final day

The teams competing in the group phase will still have something to play for heading into the tournament's final day. Group standings feed directly into a full set of crossover placement matches on 1 October, deciding every position from 1st to 8th in a single day of action.

1 October
12:30 - Placement Match 7/8: 4A vs 4B
15:00 - Placement Match 5/6: 3A vs 3B
17:30 - Bronze medal match: 2A vs 2B
20:00 - Final: 1A vs 1B

The 2026 IHF Men's Club World Championship will be the third consecutive edition staged in Egypt's New Administrative Capital, featuring a refreshed competition structure designed to increase the number of meaningful matches from the opening day through to the final whistle.

All times listed are local (Egypt).